Auld lang syne. Second series : $b My Indian friendsMüller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
History
Auld lang syne. Second series : $b My Indian friends
Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
India; Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max), 1823-1900 -- Friends and associates
I must mention at least one instance when I was agreeably surprised by
the thorough sincerity of one of my Indian correspondents, who certainly
meant far more than he said. The Mahârâjah of Vizianagram wrote to me
some years ago expressing a wish to possess a copy of my edition of the
“Rig-Veda” in six volumes. It had been published at £15, but when I
applied to a second-hand bookseller he charged £24, and told me that
complete copies of the book were getting very scarce. Soon after the
Mahârâjah wrote again asking the bookseller to send him a second copy,
but he was informed by his agent in England that he could not get a
complete set for love or for money. The Mahârâjah wrote to ask me why I
did not bring out a new edition, and I had to tell him what the expense
of printing such a work would be, and that, though I should gladly give
my labour for nothing, I could not find a publisher in England, not even
a University Press, to undertake such a work. The Indian Government had
for years used the first edition for making presents in Europe and in
India, and though in this way it had fully reimbursed itself for the
original outlay, it was not inclined to venture on a second edition.
Upon this the Mahârâjah, who had hitherto been most lavish in his
praises of the work, showed that the praise he had bestowed on it was
not mere empty praise, but was really meant. After telling me what his
Pandits had said to him, and sending me some valuable MSS., as a
present, which they had prepared for me, he offered to pay himself for
the printing of a new edition, if I would undertake the labour of
revising the text.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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